Ysleta ISD superintendent says he worries about teachers, students and not taxpayers
The day after the Ysleta ISD board approved a $451.5 million bond proposal, the district’s superintendent began visiting schools to explain the bond to employees.
Superintendent Xavier De La Torre visisted Scotsdale Elementary Thursday afternoon – the first of 63 campuses he plans on visiting.
De La Torre told teachers at Scotsdale Elementary, “My job is to worry about you (teachers) and the students. Someone else can worry about the taxpayers”
On Monday the board heard YISD’s Preliminary Master Plan which details hundreds of millions of dollars to close empty schools, repair, rebuild and renovate old buildings, and modernize classrooms for the next generation of learners.
There are four factors affecting every single one of its 60 schools: enrollment has declined and the district is operating below capacity; the 100-year-old district has buildings that are old and deteriorating; YISD has to re-brand itself to survive the 21st century; there has to be equity for all students.
Broken down by feeder pattern, YISD wants to invest:
– $89 million in Del Valle
– $94 million in Eastwood
– $65.7 million in Bel Air
– $46.8 in Hanks
– $39.2 million in Yselta
– $26.4 million in Riverside
– $48 million toward enhancements.
Beyond repairs and upgrades, big ticket items, include:
Closing Hillcrest Middle andRanchland Hills Middle, and building Bel Air Middle in its place at $31.5 million
Combining Mission Valley Elementary and Valley View Middle, and building Del Valle Middle for $67 million
Rebuilding Eastwood High for $66 million
Young Women’s Leadership Academy, focusing on STEM would be built at the Hillcrest Middle location.
Camino Real Middle and Cadwallader Elementary would close
One detail board members will have to be comfortable explaining is the tax rate increase of 10 percent.
It would be $91 more. For a $100,000 home, the total tax bill would be $975 compared to $884 taxpayers pay now.
De La Torre said that will be anywhere from $5-$12 more per month.
